The Spectral Web: Hitodama

I'm a tester for this game. (Look, ma, I'm in the credits!) With that being said, when this game launched, I was legitimately very surprised that it was three dollars, because this is not a three dollar game-- it easily has like 10 to maybe even 15 dollars worth of content, more if you particularly like randomizers. This game has a very specific niche it falls into. If you like top-down zelda-likes with a bit more Metroidvania flair, this game is absolutely amazing. There is seriously so much replay value packed into this, from multiple playable characters to a really expansive randomizer. If you're looking at this page in the first place, you're probably already interested in what this has to offer. I can tell you right now-- it's totally worth it.

Fun game to play. Hits right in the nostalgia.

Narrow recommendation, It's kind of dull. It plays adequately and is cheap. Every screen looking like random Zelda dungeon rooms just isn't all that compelling to me. Your character has no defensive options (No dash or block), and spaces are tight on every screen, so you will frequently get boxed in by the enemies and take unavoidable damage. This makes playing on anything higher than the default difficulty an absolute slog where you will die every few screens until you get kind of lucky. You need to shoot every tile on every screen because pretty much all of them have a hidden way or thing to collect. This got a bit tedious honestly.

This game is very fun and i would be happy to see this game get more love.

Hitodama is such a fun game! I love the puzzle-solving and all the different spells you get. Even fighting the enemies is like having little puzzles to solve, figuring out which spells and angles to attack from. I also appreciate being able to adjust the difficulty anytime I need to. The graphics and music really make the story come alive, and it has tons of replay-ability. It really makes me want to find every last secret! I hope you enjoy this fun adventure as much as I did!

Disclosing upfront, I made some resources and level designs for this game and also did some early testing. I'm no longer involved with the game's development and have no stake in its performance, so I'm writing this review solely because I like the game. Hitodama's a fun little game reminiscent of the NES adventure games of old. Surely this is the first time this comparison has ever been drawn with an indie game. But really, it's a tight mix of Zelda's top down action and Metroid's exploration and secrets, with an added focus on elemental magic. You'll find yourself shooting every wall for hidden goodies but usually not getting frustrated because the game's mechanics and level layouts are balanced well to avoid the usual pitfalls of this kind of design. Combat is very straightforward, but not without depth. Almost every spell has some situation where it's useful and most of them are still viable even outside of those situations. Enemies come in all shapes and sorts, but each of them have multiple methods of approach using the different elements. Every element is balanced quite well. By the end of the game you'll be slinging your favorite spells left and right and feeling quite powerful. But if you ever feel underprepared for something, such as one of the more hectic boss battles, the game lets you change your difficulty at any time with no penalty. Always a welcome feature and one I don't regret using on a couple occasions. I'd also like to give a special mention to the music. It's great! Composing a fully original soundtrack for a game is no small undertaking for a solo developer and you can really feel that Aevin gave it his all. There's some tough competition for my favorite tracks and only a couple that I wasn't a fan of. The real shining achievement of this game, however, is in its replay value. I called it a "little" game, but in actuality it's anything but. If choosing one of the higher difficulties a playthrough could take up to 5 hours, which is already a good value for a three dollar game. But that's assuming you only play it once. You will not. There's enough content for several more playthroughs after that. By the time you finish your fourth or fifth, you might find that the price this game is being offered at is actual robbery. There's easily $15 of value in this one and so I recommend gifting it to a friend or two if you really enjoy it. I do have a couple small complaints. For one, the game isn't always the prettiest to look at. A few issues have already been patched post release, but one that I suspect won't be is the Godot lighting system. It has a tendency to look amateurish, having awkward seams, flickering that could cause slight irritation, and affecting things in ways it shouldn't. When it's used in particularly dark areas it looks quite nice, but I think a custom made system would look way better. I'd also say that while the game's balance is something I've praised earlier on, the Sadistic difficulty in particular was a bit of a letdown. For context this difficulty was featured in an older game Aevin worked on built in another engine and had more pronounced enemy behavior changes there. His decision to tone that back, while understandable, made for less of the fun (and deeply unfair) surprises that drew me to the original difficulty. In conclusion, Hitodama's a fun time, infinitely replayable, and definitely worth the price. Give it a try!

[h3]Content[/h3] Being already familiar with the game I needed about 3.5 hours to complete the main story, so I estimate about 4-5 hours for newcomers. There is a lot of extra content that at least double the time to see most things, plus alternative stories on top of that adding a lot of replayability. [h3]Gameplay[/h3] The gameplay is fun and engaging, with mostly switching between fighting and exploring. To deal with enemies you get 8 different spells that have different attack patterns, elements and cost, so you're always incentivised to pick the right spell for the right occasion. On the exploration side there are a lot of secrets to be found, with most of them being coins that upgrade your character. Some of them are purposely easy to find, while others are more hidden, but none are just hidden in completely random unmarked spots, which is prevents one from just running around forever trying to find that last item. [h3]Difficulty[/h3] I finished on normal difficulty which was pretty reasonable, needing to attempt the bosses a few times each. A very nice feature in my opinion is the ability to change the difficulty in the middle of the game, so no one gets stuck in a too difficulty or easy game. Thanks to the 4 different difficulties there is also something there for people just wanting to relax and challenge hunters. Worth mentioning is also that the difficulties actually affect enemy behaviour making them more tricky to deal with instead of just scaling their health, which is a big plus. tl,dr: A lot of enjoyment to be had, with secrets to be found and accessible for everyone. Absolutely worth buying.

Plays like a mix of old-school Zelda and Metroidvania, with secret routes and hidden collectibles. Excellent level design that uses the environment itself as the tutorial and sets you up for success, while still being challenging. Definitely recommend!

A pretty solid and simple Metroidvania. It's very retro and has simple rules, but holds up well enough for several hours of gameplay. It's very reminiscent of the original Zelda 1 (for NES), for various reasons, which does mean it's somewhat repetitive at times, with the gameplay. It actually has a decent amount of replayability, as you'll find later on with unlocks, but the core gameplay remains mostly the same, so it's really just about picking your favourite flavor. But still, it works very well as a sort of "do a round once a month" sort of deal once you clear all of the unique content. It's actually quite difficult on it's hardest settings, so getting the challenge achievements might take you some time. And then there's getting/finding all of the secret achievements. Without help, it's a daunting task. If you're a completionist, it's going to take a while, and I suggest you don't try and do it all at once. Overall, a charming game, with more content than you'd expect for the price. A very good deal. If you like dungeon crawlers, this is the perfect game for you.

Ah, Hitodama. I remember first trying you out way back when, and you and the other games associated with you still have a lot of love from me. Seeing it hit the mainstream is a wonderful feeling, and I can't wait to see how much Aevin has improved with his craft! For anyone who enjoys classic top-down 2D Zelda games with a mix of Metroidvania, you are looking at the right game.~